Sign cabinet



E. WILES SIGN CABINET June 26, 1951 INVENTOR ELWOOD W l L ES Filed Feb. 16, 1950 ATTORNEY Patented June 26, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIGN CABINET Elwood Wiles, Portland, Oreg. Application February 16, 1950, Serial No. 144,483

This invention relates to sign cabinets and is particularly to be used for illuminated trafi'ic signs.

to construct a cabinet that will shed water preventing rains, snow and the like from entering the interior of the cabinet.

Another object of this invention is to provide easy access to the cabinet for servicing the sign. This is accomplished by special construction relating to the sign panel.

By a simple retaining screw under the cabinet, the sign panel is held in normal display position, but by loosening the screw the panel can be lowered uncovering the interior of the cabinet, the panel still being supported by the cabinet so that the workman will not have to support the same while he is Working on the electric illuminating system within the cabinet.

These and other incidental objects will be apparent in the drawings, specification and claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of my new and improved sign cabinet.

Figure 2 is a front view of the cabinet showing the display sign released and lowered, giving access to the interior of the cabinet. In the drawings I have not shown the illuminating lamps or tubes that illuminate the display sign.

Figure 3 is a plan sectional view, taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side sectional view, taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 2, illustrating how the sign panel is prevented from becoming detached from the cabinet.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail fragmentary sectional view taken on line 'l1 of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is the same as Figure 7, except that the sign panel has been released from the cabinet and about to be lowered to the position illustrated in Figures 2 and 6.

The cabinet consists of a back wall I, having side walls 2 formed integral therewith, said side walls being bent at right angles along their edges 3, formin vertical casings 4 for guiding and holdin the sign panel 5. A top 6 is turned down completely around its edges as at 1. These edges lap over the back wall I, sides 2 and casing 4 thereby shedding any precipitation that may fall on the same.

The primary object of the improved cabinet is 1 Claim. (Cl. 40132) A bottom 8, having'upturned walls 9, is secured to the inner side of the back wall and sides 2. The lower part of easing 4 extends over side and rear walls 9 of the bottom. This permits precipitation to flow down past the bottom of the cabinet, the said precipitation having possibly entered in behind the casing from the sign panel. The sign panel 5 is usually made from Plexiglas, although I do not wish to be limited to this material.

A Z-bar I0 is secured along the upper edge H of the sign panel, best illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6. The lower angle 12 of the bar l0 engages the upper edge l3 of the wall 9 of the bottom 8 when the sign is lowered to the position as illustrated in Figure 2. This retains the sign relative to the cabinet while the workmen are servicing the sign. These signs are usually used in streets where the workmen are quite some distance off the ground, therefore it is desirable when he services the sign that he does not have to support the sign panel. Angle bars l4 are secured vertically of the cabinet and provide a space 14 between said bars and the casings 4 for guiding the edges I 6 of the sign in its up and down travel.

Referring to Figure 3, it will be noted that the casings 4 provide the oppositely disposed guides for the members l4, and it will be noted that when precipitation enters between the casings 4 and the sign panel it will flow downwardly and past the bottom of the cabinet, best illustrated in Figures 3, 4, 6 and 8.

An angle bar I I is secured to the lower edge l8 of the sign panel, as for instance by the rivets I 9. Midway the length of this angle bar on its horizontal leg 20 is an opening 2| through which passes the special screw 22. This screw is cut away at 23 and has a washer 24 threaded over the threaded portion 25 of the screw entering the cutaway 23, this washer then prevents the screw from being withdrawn from the opening 2| of the angle bar 11, as illustrated particularly in Figure 8. 7

The side panel 5 is held in the raised or closed position by the screw 22 being threaded into the nut 26 which is fixedly mounted to the bottom of the cabinet 8, best illustrated in Figures 3, 4, 7 and 8. On removing the screw from the nut 26, the sign panel is allowed to lower to the position illustrated in Figure 2. The angle l 2 of the Z-bar [0 coming to rest on the top surface l3 of the bottom of the cabinet. This is an outstanding feature of my new and improved sign cabinet, the ease with which the sign panel can be lowered and held while the workmen are servicing the interior of the cabinet.

After the servicing of th sign is completed, the workman raises the sign panel with one hand, threading the screw 22 into the nut 26, with this construction his other hand is free to support himself while raising or lowering the panel.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is obvious; that: many modifications thereof" are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in so far as is neccessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A sign cabinet comprising a casingopen a't its' front and having its forward endszturnedjnwardvly toward each other, a top having surrounding depending flanges fitted over the upper end of the casing, a bottom having inwardly turned fiangesfittingawithi'rr thezcasing the bottom bein ofl less width. than the width of the casing to form azspace-betweemthe turned-1m; ends.;of the casing. verticallys'disposed'ianglecbars onzthe inside. of the; casing: adjacent; the. turned; infront; ends; and; spacedrfromithe latter; the-spacing bet'weemthe turned in: front ends of. the casingzand' the angle"- ba-rs.:being in: alignment: with the space between. therfrent turned: in sides; and. therbottomto: formparallel guides, a slide mounted in the parallel guides, a transverse Z-shaped bar secured to the inner upper end of the slide, the upper end of the Z-shaped bar engaging over the upper edge of the slide, the lower end of the Z-shaped slide extending inwardly to form a stop to contact with the upwardly extending flange on the bottom when the slide is opened to gain access to the casing, a transverse angle bar at the outer lower end'cftheslide, said transverse angle bar being equal to the distance between the opposing turned in. ends of the front of the casing, means for securing one member of the transverse angle bar togtherlower end of the slide with the other member of said transverse angle bar extending rearwardly' and under the bottom of the casing, and meanssbetween the latter member and the casing to lock the slide in closed position.

ELWOOD WILES.

REFERENCES CITED- The following references are of recordinthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES. PATENTS 

